be our guest

(sorry, couldn't miss the chance to be in theme with yesterday's post.)

This weekend, I played hostess to a friend from my childhood. She was in town for another friend's wedding so she spent the weekend at my house. We talked for hours. This is someone that I grew up with, went to preschool with, took tiny tot dance lessons together and were popwarner cheerleaders together. We were in the same ward almost until I moved away for college. And despite attending different high schools and running with different crowds, we share a LOT of growing up experiences and common friends. She was full of "news from home". I haven't lived there in nearly a decade but it was fun to hear updates on so many of the people we grew up with.

So it got me thinking. Facebook has done wonders for society's ability to keep in touch with others, or at least to hear the news about people we accepted as friends because we knew them once upon a time but really haven't even talked to them. However, I do admit to doing a great deal of facebook stalking (as in viewing photos, reading wall posts, etc.) Many friends from my growing up years have stuck close to home, some of them even marrying people we knew but never would have pictured together. Many of them have gone to school, started families, etc. Some of them have really struggled or turned out far differently than I may have hoped or expected.

I had a great childhood. My parents created a welcoming, secure and loving home. So much in fact, that they were notorious among our friends for being the place to go when you needed it and we frequently had long term guests and friends who even today, call them "mom" and "dad". They encouraged us to have friends over and were always the first to volunteer to drive for firesides or stake dances. They were supportive of our activities and hobbies and encouraged us to develop our talents. We lived in a not-such-a-great-area but my parents gave us all the opportunities they possibly could. Hearing about friends who came from all the advantages of life but created very little with it was disappointing. Others, and I'd like to include myself and my siblings in this group, have built our lives to be fulfilling, meaningful and accomplished (regardless of the varying backgrounds we may have come from). Life is always a work in progress but I'm so grateful to have had the amazing experiences that I did as a child and the opportunities I've had that helped me grow.